Carousel
by winterpolis
Summary: Two steps forward, one step back—that's how it's always been. Life is a series of arriving and departing, of forgiving and loving, of beginnings and endings. As long as you have that special one, the journey is worth it. KxZ drabbles; ranging from Avatar-verse to modern AU, from tentative relationships to parenting.
1. Birthdays

**pairings: **zuko x katara ; implications of taang and sukka

**friendships:** katara & iroh ; iroh & kanna

**warnings: **none.

**a/n**: so i originally wrote this on my birthday last year, intending for it to be an avenue for me to release the rumbling emotions in my head of being forgotten on my birthday. i know it's a silly thing to get upset over, but let's face it—we don't like being forgotten on our birthday.

**a/n 2 (aka the ****apology)**: to my readers/followers—i am really really really really _really _sorry for the spam emails you guys received from ffnet yesterday (or whenever you did receive it, depending on where you live in this big world). i was editing my works and as you would have already guessed, it did not go well. i'm really sorry for the spam (sometimes i hate that particular following-someone-feature) and for the confusion, what with all the editing and "renovating." hopefully you guys'll still stick around even if the chapters 1-16 will be reposts of my old stuff here and on tumblr. i've decided to compile the shorter, crappier, older works under one link since they were mostly drabbles anyway. please bear with this whole reposting (that will be done as often as i can) and editing, and once that's done, i'll either start a new drabble series, or continue on from 17 onwards. (i feel like i've repeated myself so many times now O.o) again, i sincerely apologize! here's a virtual cookie for you, that i virtually baked. i hope we're still friends and there's no hard feelings and that you'll still keep reading and reviewing. love you all, especially those who have been around since the first crappy work. thank you all so much.

**a/n 3: **this is set post-war, with the implication that kataang either didn't happen, or didn't work out but remained friends.

* * *

Birthdays were important to Katara. Not because the celebrant would be smothered with hugs and kisses and lavished with attention and presents; but simply because a birthday was a reminder to everyone else that a person _existed_. That he was alive and that he wouldn't be going anywhere any time soon; and that he had been born into the world all those years ago, destined for greatness.

And that is why she woke up on Sunday morning with a quesy feeling in the pit of her stomach, excitement and anticipation pulsing in her veins. Sure, she didn't feel any change in herself mentally and physically, but she could feel it stirring deep within her emotionally. Today marked the beginning of a new chapter of her life. Today, she was eighteen; today, she was a year wiser and stronger. Today, she was a woman.

#

Katara laid on her bed for what felt like forever before she got up. She'd been thinking about being eighteen—about being a woman and bracing her responsibilities as an adult. She wondered if she was still to wash her father and brother's clothes (she never minded washing Gran's), wondered how the tribe would treat and see her now, wondered what her friends would say, wondered what the new freedom of being an adult entailed. A tiny part of her wondered it would be like to fall in love and be married, to have kids and to watch them grow. Sokka and Suki had a child of their own, two year-old little Qiang, who had his mother's eyes and father's skin tone. Aang and Toph were expecting their own in a few months, and Aang had been excited to welcome his child into the world, hoping against all odds that it would be an airbender. That left the two non-married, non-expecting ones in the Gang: Zuko and she.

Zuko had turned twenty a few months ago, and he had mentioned in his letters that he and the noblewoman Mai had parted, almost immediately after reconciling. _Too many fights and too little apologies_, he'd said. And besides, he had his eye on someone else now, he'd mentioned, someone who he'd been attracted to even before the war's end. She often wondered who it was, and on the occasion that she wasn't in denial, she'd admit to herself that she wished it was her. She sighed at the thought, and pushed it to the back of her mind, getting up from bed and ready to face the world in an eighteen year old's eyes.

#

The moment she stepped out of her room, GranGran immediately enveloped her in a warm hug, a proud smile tugging at her lips. "Oh, my dear, look how much you've grown all these years!" the old woman was beginning to tear up, the skin around her still-vibrant eyes crinkling with the effort to hold the tears back. "It seems like it were just yesterday that you were a little girl, running around with your brother and making a mess of everything. How I wish you were still a little girl asking me how to sew a pair of Sokka's pants!"

Katara laughed. "I regret asking that now. All I do is mend his broken pairs!"

Her grandmother chuckled. "You've done enough mending for your brother and the world. Go and enjoy yourself today—it's the least you deserve after all you've done for the world."

#

It wasn't that bad of a birthday. She was greeted by a few of her tribesmen and received some letters and presents from the other three nations, but what made her restless was the fact that aside from Gran and Hakoda, not one of her closest friends had greeted her. She wasn't looking for the attention. Her main concern was the fact that they didn't _remember_. Was she really that easy to forget? That this one day of importance to her would easily slip out of the minds of the people she held dear?

She knew that Aang and Toph were occupied by flying around from one place to another trying to restore peace and occasionally preparing for their child's entering of the wolrd; and that Sokka and Suki were busy in the Earth Kingdom with Qiang, negotiations, treaties, and whatnot. She was most certain that Zuko was more than immersed in being the Fire Lord; but she at least thought—_expected_—them to greet her, no matter how short or insincere. At least they remembered right? But, no. All she got was the sound of the tundra's eerie silence. She always remembered _their_ birthdays; always made sure she greeted them personally, even if they were halfway across the world.

So why then couldn't they remember hers?

#

The gaping hole in her chest did not heal by the time the moon claimed domain of the sky. Her birthday was coming to an end and still, none of them had sent her their best wishes. Were they really that forgetful or had something happened to them? Her pondering was suddenly interrupted by the sight of ashes falling softly to the ground, its grey hue a visible contrast to the pale white that surrounded her everywhere. Looking up, she saw a small ship headed their way, its body completely drenched in splatters of red, gold, and black. _Fire Nation_. Scrambling to her feet, she raced to the dock to wait for the ship to land. She knew whom it would be carrying. _Zuko_.

A wide smile graced her solemn features as she saw Iroh waving quite enthusiastically from the deck. "Happy birthday, Lady Katara! The best of wishes from the Fire Nation!"

When the ship finally landed on the Southern Water Tribe's icy shores, the people crowded around to welcome the Dragon of the West and his companions. When he finally got to Katara, her heart was swelling with joy. "Uncle!"

The old man chuckled before giving her a warm bear hug. "It is good to see you again, Katara. You're looking more and more beautiful each time our paths cross."

Katara blushed at the flattering comment. "Thank you, Uncle."

"There is no need for gratitude when it is a fact." Iroh stated wisely before clasping her shoulder.

The celebrant laughed. "I see you're still a flatterer _and_ wise."

The retired general's eyes twinkled in the same manner that Gran's did. "It is a gift of age. Speaking of gifts, this is for you," he produced a small ornate box that had its sides carved with dragons.

"What is it?" Katara aksed, staring at it.

"Why don't you see for yourself?" Iroh placed the palm-sized box into her hand and patted her fingers.

She nimbly opened the gift, cautious not to drop it. What laid inside took her breath away. "Uncle, no. I can't possibly take this. This is important to you!"

He laughed before smiling warmly at her, his eyes radiating with that of paternal love. "Nonsense, my dear! It's the least I could do after all that you've done for my family. Besides, I think it will be fitting to have you keep it. A beautiful heirloom passed on from one beauty to another."

Katara could still hardly believe he was giving her Lu Ten's mother's necklace. He had showed it to her once when she visited the Palace; and even then, she had already known how valuable it was to Iroh. The pendant was simple. It was a small, coral-colored seashell that reminded her of the rising sun's rays, streaked with snowy white that reminded her of home. A thin golden chain was clasped at the top securely, the gold catching the moonlight from where it lay safely in the velvet interior of the box. It was beautiful.

"Uncle..." her eyes glistened and Iroh smiled softly. "One does not reject a gift for it is simply rude."

The girl laughed. "Oh, Uncle, thank you so much!" she threw her arms around him and he patted her shoulder. "You are most welcome, Lady Katara."

Suddenly, a voice came from behind them. "Do _I_ get a hug too?"

Katara immediately broke away from the hug. She knew that voice. "Zuko!" In a second, she was rushing across the ice and throwing herself into the Fire Lord's waiting arms, making his amused grin melt into a soft one.

Iroh chuckled to himself before shaking his head. "My nephew, forever the moment breaker,"

"He does know how to make an entrance, no?" Kanna's soft voice spoke beside him as she lovingly watched the two friends reconcile.

"Most certainly," Iroh answered his old friend.

"Say, Iroh, you thinking of what I'm thinking?" the old woman turned to him, and they watched the two youngsters messing around in the snow before her granddaughter landed on top of his nephew.

The general turned to her, his golden eyes glistening with the same mischief her cerulean ones did before saying one word together: _grandchildren._

* * *

**a/n 4: **sokka and suki's son's name, _qiang_, is the chinese word for strength.


	2. Cactus Juice

**pairings:** katara x zuko ; subtle taang

**crack ship:** zuko x a pillar

**warnings: **(hopefully) silly and funny.

**a/n: **zeek and kaede (not featured here) are my steambabies. zeek is the elder firebender brother and kaede is the daddy's girl waterbender. i borrowed the name zeek from a youtube artist, zeek power—go check out his channel! he's got awesome stuff there. for kaede, i got her name from my favorite childhood anime show, mirmo de pon/wagamama fairy. for those who're wondering, i shipped dylan (setsu yuuki) and katie (kaede minami). anyway, more on them in later drabbles, and you can also check out various dadko shenanigans in my mini-series dadko tales. the link can be found in my profile.

**a/n 2****: **as you've probably figured, i love babbling in my a/n section. here comes my babble of the day. i'm trying to post drabbles 1-16 as quickly as possible so i can start working on new ones. as i've said, i'm editing all 16 of them, so i haven't actually gotten around to writing new ones, but i've got a few ideas here and there. anyway. here's a short one for you lovelies.

* * *

"Dad?"

The woozy Fire Lord looked up to see his teenaged son staring at him, eyes wide and jaw slacked. "Why are you hugging that pillar?"

Zuko looked at his current object of fascination, at his son, and back again. He put on a dopey smile, patted the concrete pillar, and _giggled_. "What are you talking about, Zeek? I'm hugging your _mother_!"

Zeek's jaw dropped even further. "Dad. Mom is _inside_. _Eating_ with Uncle Aang, Aunt Toph, and Lin. That's a _pillar_. It's cold, lifeless, inanimate, and definitely_ not_ Mom."

His father frowned. "Nooo. That woman eating with Aang and his family is a phoney! How can I ever mistaken your mother for someone else? I'd know her even if she had a costume on. Silly boy." Zuko shook his head like a petulant child, and Zeek scowled.

"Dad, stop hugging that _thing_ before Mom comes out and—" his reprimanding of his father (ironic, really) was cut short by his mother's incredulous voice.

"Zuko? What are you doing?"

_Well. _The Crown Prince _did _try. Dad just wouldn't listen.

"You!" Zuko awkwardly stumbled toward the Fire Lady, a finger accusingly pointed at her. Or at least what seemed to be her general direction (it was about two feet off to the left of her face).

"Er, Mom..." Zeek tried to step in between his obviously inebriated father and confused mother.

"You're the phoney who's trying to take my wife's place!" Zuko stumbled into Katara's arms in an unceremonious and very un-Fire Lordy manner; and she raised a brow. "What the _heck_ are you talking about? Last time I checked, I was your wife!"

"Mom…" Zeek mumbled, flinching at his mother's glare.

"What?" she snapped, cerulean eyes flaring with specks of dark violet—the colour of storm clouds and sure trouble ahead.

"Dad may have been—"

"No! _She_'s my wife, Katara. You're just some fraud!" Zuko suddenly interrupted, pointing to the pillar he'd been hugging; and Katara gasped, slightly outraged.

"What are you talking about?! _I'm_ Katara! Your _wife_! _That_ is a pillar!" her arms would've been flailing around now if only she wasn't supporting her husband's weight.

"No, you're not! Stop it, you faker! Stop it!" Zuko was trying to pull on a straight face and a regal tone but was miserably failing, looking more like a stubborn six year old than the leader of a whole nation.

"Mom, I—"

It seemed that no one wanted the Crown Prince to finish any of his sentences as his mother's shrill scream pierced the air. "TOPH! DID YOU SPIKE ZUKO'S TEA AGAIN?!"

"Oh, boy..." Zeek muttered under his breath, as Toph and her daughter Lin's cackles float from inside the dining room.

"WHY YOU SNEAKY LITTLE BRAT! YOU'RE GETTING IT THIS TIME! I SWEAR—ZUKO, GET _OFF_ OF ME!"

"NO! _YOU_ LET GO OF _ME_, YOU PHONEY!"

"Mom, I really think you shouldn't do that. Dad's not gonna be happy about this when he—oh, sweet Agni! MOM! PUT DAD AND THAT WATER WHIP DOWN!"


	3. Carry On

**pairing: **katara x zuko

**warnings:** angst. lots of angst. (i've taken an uncanny liking to writing angst, for some reason; but hate it when _I_ read angsty stories. huh. weird.)

**a/n: **hullo. (i find that i fancy spelling my hellos with a U now instead of an E. i rather like it this way.) it's me again (well obviously, who else would it be? *rolls eyes at self*). you've probably noticed that i've been updating quite quickly, but it's only because these are reposts/reedited, and also because i've had a little bit of time to spare. starting tomorrow, however, these updates would probably slow down a bit until a little before the end of october since my finals are coming up (good luck to me!). hopefully i get good grades, and if i'm in high spirits, possibly write out a dramione fic for those dramione shippers out there. ;)

**a/n 2: **okay, so this is really weird and you are free to accuse me of being off my rocker, but i recommend you read this while listening to frank sinatra's _beyond the sea_. i know, i know. _win, i thought this was very __angsty? why are you asking me to listen to a feel-good song?_ don't worry, i asked myself that too. but i was listening to that song when i was editing this and i just can't picture another song to go with this for a very odd reason. if you so happen find a song that you think would be better fitting to listen to while reading this, then comment on. i'll *hopefully* make a playlist and publish it in one of the drabbles to follow.

**a/n 3:** this was formerly entitled _yellow clouds_. i altered the ending, so i changed the title as well.

* * *

The palace was quiet—quieter than it had ever been in the many centuries that it had stood proud and tall, housing great (and sometimes not so great) leaders, generation after generation. Every small movement and noise was not only highlighted but also magnified by the deafening silence that hung around the corridors and clung to the walls. Everyone who resided in the palace was dressed in white, even the servants; and not a single one could be seen wearing a streak of color, (especially not red) lest they have their ear yelled off by a grieving Fire Lady.

The solemn silence, however, extended far beyond the palace walls. It seemed to trap the whole nation with its gnarled claws, placing its citizens in a hazy, dreamlike grief for the monarch they had lost. But no one seemed to grieve more than the widowed other half of the Fire Lord—no one.

#

Katara was seated in a wooden bench under a willow tree, brown hair cascading down her back in careless curls, her hands clasped tightly in her lap. Her large, blue eyes had a distant look, gone were the light that had so often danced in them. Her lips were a ghastly shade of pale pink, and to anyone taking a quick glance at her, the impression that she was either terminally ill or a walking dead would come to mind. Albeit she was none of these things, she might as well have been, for the weight of her sadness seemed to anchor her down so low; she was sinking way past the water's surface—and quickly.

A dry but cool gust of air swept down between the leaves, rattling the branches and whispering across the small pond by her feet. The not unwelcome breath of life did little to ease the crease in her brows, the stampeding thoughts in her mind, nor the bleeding wound in her heart. "It feels so empty now," she thought, breathing in heavily the early morning air as the scenes replayed in her mind over and over again: the roaring flames eating at the wooden pyre until it was only a pile of ash, and the scattering of those ashes out at sea. It was their two cultures combined—the burning of the deceased to ashes his, the throwing out at sea hers—and she choked on a sob as she thought about how she would now and forever be alone. She wouldn't be together with _him_.

It seemed like it was only yesterday that she had been looking into his golden eyes and smiling, and now, he was gone. Just like that. The lightning bolt he had taken for her all those years ago had finally taken its toll on him, taking her only anchor in this world away. So quickly; _too_ quickly. In her pain and denial, she had initially refused to accept the fact. She had screamed and cried and ran water-coated hands over that stupid _scar_, but it was all in vain. He had already crossed over to the Spirit World. She had half the mind to jump off the nearest cliff she could find just to be with him, but she reminded herself that she had her—_their_—children to look after. She had a nation to rule in his place. She had friends and family who were depending one her. She had people to lead and lives broken by the war to mend.

And once again, she would have to be the strong one. At least when he was around, he shared the burden with her. "No more," she thought sadly, blankly, "no more." But she would carry on, much like he had carried on for her despite wanting to give up. She would carry on for her children and family; she would carry on for his—_their_—nation. She would carry on for him, till the day they met again on the other side of the moon. She would carry on as long as that gust of wind kept breathing against her skin; it felt too much like the ghost of his comforting fingers that had so often gave her hope. And gave her hope it did: she would see him again some day—someday.


	4. Waking Up

**pairings: **katara x zuko

**warnings: **slight angst, but otherwise a fluffy ending.

**a/n****:** here's a little momtara for everyone. zeek's the main child in this one as well, kaede has minimal appearances in most of my dadko/momtara stories, actually. anyway, i'm going to stop babbling.

* * *

"Momma," five-year old Zeek whispers as he plays with his slumbering father's newly trimmed hair. The Crown Prince had come to seek shelter in his parents' room after the first cackle of thunder and booming flash of lightning outside his window woke him and scared him senseless. Upon reaching his parents' room, he had immediately jumped on the bed and hid under the covers, clutching his father's leg and shaking against his mother. Katara had to coax and bribe him with promises of candy before he surfaced out of the covers. It had been an hour since, and after being comforted, Zeek had padded his way to his father's other side, curling up against his still body.

"Yes, sweetheart?" his mother's blue eyes sleepily gazed up at him from where her head was comfortably nuzzled at the Fire Lord's neck. From afar, mother and son seemed to be blocking anything from reaching Zuko on both sides, what with their positions and all.

"Daddy's haircut looks good." the silly commentary made Katara chuckle. "It does, doesn't it?" she averted her gaze to her husband's hair, which had been styled in his old Earth Kingdom trend, vaguely reminding her of the catacombs.

The blue-eyed firebender nodded. "I like it better than the long one."

Katara smiled and found herself agreeing with her son. She did always like it when his hair was at this length.

"Momma?" Zeek's voice sounded muffled and tired, the tired boy slowly slipping into unconsciousness.

"Mm?" Katara let the side of a finger caress his tan cheek.

"When will Daddy wake up?" the question tumbled out together with a yawn.

The Fire Lady felt her throat dry. In all honesty, she didn't know what answer to supply her son with. She couldn't just say _Daddy might not wake up for a while because the man who tried to kill Daddy had infused his blade with poison and the healers and she were doing their best but it might take a while_. It just wasn't the right way to break the news to her son. She swallowed thickly, though her oesophagus still felt dry; and placed her palm on Zeek's cheek. "Soon, Zeek, soon."

The little boy's lips curved upward in a happy smile before his eyelids fluttered shut and he too joined his father in sleeping, though their kinds of sleeping varied.

Katara watched him sleep peacefully for a while, her thoughts scattered all over the place. It was when the next crack of lightning split the sky did she snap out of her revery. Her eyes suddenly pooled as she placed a warm hand on Zuko's cold cheek. "Wake up soon, Zuko. I don't know how long I'll be able to hold up for both of us."

A few days later, she was staring once more into molten golden eyes, never having been more happier and relieved in her life as Zeek continuously squealed, "Daddy, you're awake!"


	5. The Little Things

**pairings: **katara x zuko

**warnings:** none.

**a/n:** so this is _really _short. sort of like super-short drabbles compiled into one chapter of a drabble collection, so that makes it…drabble-ception! …that probably didn't make sense. *clears throat* anyway.

* * *

_'Sometimes,' said Pooh, _

_'the smallest things _

_take up the most room _

_in your heart. _

_—A. A. Milne  
_

* * *

**Stars**

Katara wanted to see the fireworks in the town center, but Zuko decided that watching the stars in the far end of Ba Sing Se was much more appealing. That way, he could hold her close, away from the loud explosions and excited chatters. Just the both of them, away from the rest of the world—if only for a little while.

**Music**

As she pressed her ear against his chest and her eyes reflected the glistening stars, she realized that there was no other soothing music to her ears than the steady heartbeat of Zuko against her own. _Du-dub. Du-dub._ As long as his heart kept beating, so would hers—his heart's rhythm was the accompanying melody to hers.

**Breezes**

The cool breeze blew past the two, encasing them further into a solitary world on their own. _Can we stay here forever?_

**Moonlight**

Basked in gentle moonlight, Katara brushed the dark hair that had fallen over Zuko's closed eyes. He looked peaceful when he was sleeping, all the stress and strain of Fire Lord duties whisked away from him, if only for a moment. A smile clung to her lips as she pressed a kiss to his forehead, the smile widening marginally when the vibration of his chuckle sent a chill down her spine—every moment with him was beautiful.

**The Little Things**

And Katara suddenly realized that it was the little things—the little moments like these—that made her truly grateful that she had Zuko and that he was the person she'd spend the rest of her life with. It was the little things that was so taken granted for that made everyday things more special, for it was in the little things that one learnt to appreciate the bigger things.


	6. Choices

**pairing: **katara x zuko

**warnings:** none.

**a/n:** so. it's decision-making time for katara. implied non-kataang. a hundred and one words because i roll that way.

**a/n 2:** also, i've decided to delete some of my old stuff that was originally supposed to be part of the sixteen reposts. i literally cringed when i reread them. so yeah. the reposts won't make it to chapter 16, woo! *ehem* uhm, yeah.

* * *

She has a choice: stay in the Fire Nation with the boy who's become her best friend, or return to the South Pole and live her days known only as the Chief's daughter and the Avatar's waterbending teacher. She thinks it's peculiar how after all she's done, she'll only be remembered by titles.

She takes one look at the scarred face and golden eyes, and _knows_. He won't remember her _just _because of her titles. He'll remember her for who she is.

Her home isn't the South Pole. It probably never was. Her home is where Zuko is.

_She will stay._


	7. Gifts

**pairing: **katara x zuko ; implied taang

**warnings: **fluuuufff!

**a/n:** this one's for **waterlit****. **thank you for your numerous reviews darling. sorry it's short, i've got a huge test tomorrow and as stated, this is a repost. i'll get around to writing a new one for you when i finish the reposts and when school isn't clamoring for my attention. ;)

**a/n 2: **i wrote this on christmas so…uhm yeah.

**a/n 3:** so i just discovered the joys of that little speech bubble button beside the reviews of readers on my works and man_ where have i been for the past few months i've been on ffnet?!_ but yeah. since i know what that button does now, i bombarded those who reviewed _all_ my works with my thanks and virtual cookies. i'm so late in giving my thanks, but yeah. better late than never? *nervously chuckles*

* * *

Christmas this year was by far Toph's favorite one yet. She had made sure to get everyone what they _needed_ and not what they wanted; and so far, everyone seemed to be pleased with the gifts they've received.

"Uhh, Toph?" Sugar Queen raised a brow as the blind girl stuck a card on her forehead and began dragging her towards the fireplace, where who else but Sparky would be standing?

"What the...?" the said boy was yanked from his conversation with Suki, and a similar card was plastered on his chest—the Blind Bandit was too short, mind you—as he was whirled around.

A split second later, Katara and Zuko were pushed together and they shyly read off each others' cards. As they read off each others' cards, their cheeks flushed a deep burgundy and Toph snickered as she felt their heartbeats quicken. "Take care of your presents, kids," As she walked off to find Aang, Zuko's poorly taped card fell off his shirt and fluttered to the ground.

_"To: Sugar Queen"_

"Hey, Katara! Why do you have a—" Sokka trailed off as he read the card on his sister's forehead. "Ohh..." the Water Tribe Warrior smirked before turning to the earthbender. "Nice one, Toph!"

Confused, Katara finally peeled the card off her face.

_"To: Sparky"_

Oh.


	8. Sinking

**pairing:** subtle katara x zuko if you squint (but really, it's like neon signs popping up to greet you—how can you miss?)

**warnings**: none. though, if you count the use of pet names like _koko_ be a fair warning, then...here: you've been forewarned.

**a/n 1:** dedicated to the amazing **beatrixwilder** over at Tumblr, one of my favorite Zutara-fic writers ever.

**a/n 2: **revised (though barely any better; it's 04:07 am where i'm from, beware) and the last of the re-uploads. drabble nine onwards will be new ones—finally!

**a/n 3: **also, i changed my name again. please don't hate me! actually, no. I'm not even sorry. i'll be indecisive and fickle if i want to be! ...but yeah. sorry guys. —winterpolis is way awesomer anyway! it's like my own city! —no, winter is not my name. though it would be cool. bye—

* * *

"This is all your fault." Katara accused, raising an arm to shove at the firebender, and in so doing, caused herself to sink deeper into the quicksand.

"_My_ fault? How is this _my_ fault?!" Zuko exclaimed, equally as frustrated, the lone leaf sticking out of his mussed-up hair making his scalp itch. He couldn't (more like refused) to make a move to take it out, however, because if he did, he'd sink lower into the death trap they'd found themselves in.

"You were the one who wanted to come here!" Katara growled, hitting his chest with the strength of an experienced warrior—"_Ow_!"—only to sink even deeper.

"After _you_ complained that you hadn't seen this swamp in years! And would you stop hitting me?! You're sinking deeper each time; and to be frank, it hurts!" the ex-prince scowled. Agni, she was so _frustrating_!

To irritate him and if not only for the sake of sadistic glee, the waterbender hit him once more, earning herself a yelp from him and an inch deeper into the quicksand for herself.

"Hit me one more time and I—" interrupted midsentence by another slap, Zuko growled and grabbed her by the shoulders with the intent of flinging her across the forest (it seemed like a perfectly formidable, not to mention full-proof, idea in his head), pulling her out of the quicksand with the strength of a master firebender and swords-master.

Clamoring quickly onto safer, stable land, Katara smirked. "Thanks for the pull, Zuko," her voice was saccharine, and so was her smile, despite the fact that she was covered in sand from her neck below.

"What—" Zuko stared at the waterbender, not realizing quite yet that he'd pulled her out of the quicksand. "How'd you—Agni damn it all!"

The girl shot him a triumphant smile as she dusted herself free of the debris clinging onto her skin. "See you back at camp, _Koko_!" Katara shouted over her shoulder as she retreated into the canopy of trees.

"Katara? Wait! Katara, help me out of here! I helped you, didn't I? Wait—hey! I—_don't call me Koko_!"


End file.
